540 Audubon Avenue, Manhattan, NY 10040

540 Audubon Avenue, a 45-unit New Law Tenement built in 1923 in Washington Heights, is currently experiencing ongoing heating and hot water system issues as evidenced by multiple 311 service requests and Housing Maintenance Code complaints in early 2025. Between December 2024 and February 2025, there were at least eight documented instances of heat and hot water complaints, with both entire building and apartment-specific reports. Notably, during four of these complaints, HPD was unable to access the units for inspection, though some issues were resolved as confirmed by subsequent inspections.

The building has documented several maintenance concerns, particularly in December 2024 when Apartment 28 received violations for water leaks, defective carbon monoxide detectors, and defective smoke detectors, though these were certified as corrected by January 2025. As of March 2024, there are open violations for Apartments 48 (defective wood subfloor) and 57 (multiple issues including roof leaks and broken plaster surfaces). The building has a history of pest management challenges, with documented rodent activity in 2024-2025 inspections, particularly showing consistent rat activity in late 2024 and early 2025.

While there have been occasional reports of bedbug infestations between 2019 and 2022, recent filings indicate no infested units from 2022-2024. The property has also undergone several rodent inspections, with varying results between passed and failed compliance checks. The most recent construction-related permit was issued in April 2019, with no subsequent major work documented through the DOB system.